More than £1.625 million will be invested into providing new electric vehicle charge points across the Island.
The Isle of Wight council secured funding through the government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure scheme (LEVI) to support the installation of hundreds of new EV chargers.
More than 500 charge point sockets by 2030
Those funds will be used to expand the current network of 33 publicly-accessible EV charge points on the Island to more than 500 charge point sockets by 2030.
In particular, the council wants to plan for residents that do not have off-street parking and who will be completely reliant on the public network.
Jordan: Committed to providing Islanders with more options for EV charge points
Councillor Phil Jordan, council Leader and Cabinet member for highways and infrastructure, said,
“It’s excellent to hear that we’ve been successful in our funding bid to further support the installation of hundreds of new charge points across the Island.
“The council is committed to providing Islanders with more options for EV charge points. There has been an increasing demand for public charging facilities and, with our private sector partners, we’ve been able to install 33 green electricity charge points across the Island.
“Transitioning to electric vehicles is key to the achievement of the council’s climate targets and I am delighted and encouraged by the increased demand and usage. I look forward to facilitating more charging options for Islanders and visitors alike over the next couple of years.”
Making the switch to electric
More and more drivers are making the switch to electric vehicles, with fully electric vehicles accounting for over 16 per cent of the new UK car market in 2023, according to industry statistics.
The funding will support the delivery of hundreds of low powered charge points on street, helping more drivers get from A to B easily and supporting Island families make the switch.
Jordan: Right charging infrastructure needs to be available around the Island
Councillor Jordan added,
“Many residents and businesses have already embraced electric vehicles, and we know that many more will be keen to do so over the coming years.
“We recognise that for everyone to make the switch, the right charging infrastructure will need to be available around the Island.
“We want to give as many people as possible the confidence to switch to an electric vehicle at the earliest opportunity, to decarbonise emissions as rapidly as we can.
“The council is committed to working with partners and the community to tackle climate change and switching the way we power our cars and vans is a critical component of this.”
News shared by Isle of Wight council press office, in their own words. Ed
